KEVIN MITCHELL hit rock bottom – and the bottle – after his only professional defeat to Michael Katsidis.

But the Dagenham fighter knew he had to sort himself out when he staggered out of a nightclub and handed the last £1000 of his £70,000 purse to a tramp.

He said: “I was living like a rock star, drinking in the pub from Monday to Sunday. It was no good and I was getting into fights and stuff like that.

“I blew every penny I got for the Katsidis fight and gave the last £1000 to a tramp. I came out of a club one night, drunk as a skunk, opened my wallet and gave him everything I had left.

“I would only have drunk it anyway, so it made no difference to me. That’s how bad I was. Thankfully, my mum and dad dragged me out of the pub and helped me get my life back together.”

Now Mitchell is back on top form and determined to win his world title clash against WBO lightweight champ Ricky Burns tonight in Glasgow – because he knows this could be his last chance.

And if he can’t overcome the Scot, he admits it’ll be time to assess his future.

He said: “I’d seriously have to think about it, of course I would. I’m 27, I’m in my prime, I’ve worked hard and prepared well for this fight so if I lose there’s no point being in the game.

“Unlike the Katsidis fight, when I was always likely to get another opportunity if things went t**s up, I see this as probably my last chance. To achieve all the things that I intend to achieve in boxing, it has to happen for me in Glasgow on Saturday night.

“If I can’t win a world title now, it may never happen so I may as well quit.”

Ricky Burns alongside rival Kevin Mitchell

Mitchell is adamant he won’t be faced with that decision after tomorrow’s fight at Glasgow’s SECC and revealed how he is being driven by a family tragedy.

He is still recovering from the death of his seven-year-old cousin, Mitchell Huth, who lost his two-year battle against cancer last month.

The former British and Commonwealth super-featherweight champ said: “It’s so sad. He was in the same class as my little lad Connor. He fought it for so long and we all hoped he would pull through. It's just devastating and I’ll be fighting for him on Saturday.”

Burns and Mitchell showed little sign of friendship when they squared up at the weigh-in yesterday but they had greeted each other warmly and spoken at length at the previous day’s press conference.

Burns is Mitchell’s friend as well as rival and the sophisticated Scot introduced him to lattes, while they also play Call of Duty together online.

Mitchell said: “We are friends but we get in there and fight, it’s a job. After, we’ll have a kiss and a cuddle and have a beer together, it’s only a job.

“When we fought in Liverpool last summer we spent a lot of time together and he got me into drinking lattes. He said to try one and I ended up having eight because I loved them so much.

“He’s a top fella, a lovely lad and I have nothing but respect for him. But this is business. I want his title. This is my time and I’m going to make it happen.”

Burns weighed in dead on the 9st 9lb limit, with Mitchell half a pound lighter on the scales.

But super promoter Frank Warren doesn’t believe the fight of the year will be decided by the punch of the night.

The promoter of the WBO world lightweight championship has seen enough fights over the years to know that 10,000 people will converge on the arena in Glasgow tonight expecting more than that.

Mitchell, the challenger, is recognised as a harder hitter than the two-weight world champion from Coatbridge.

But Warren said: “Boxing would be an uncomplicated business if it was just about who could hit hardest.

“But there are a lot of variables that’ll go into determining who wins this fight. A big hitter has to connect with his punches first of all, and Ricky has the height and range to present Kevin with other problems on the night.

“He’s a decent puncher himself, not devastating but able to cause problems.”

Warren is relishing the contest that has attracted a huge audience in a city where the promoter has had cause in the past to question commitment to Scottish boxers.

A capacity crowd has restored his faith in a spectator base fit for a reigning world champion.

He said: “It’s good for boxing in Scotland because there’s a lot of talent up here. And the more Scots you can get on the undercard on a night when Ricky defends his world title, the better it is for the sport in this country.

“The Scots are also knowledgeable as well as partisan fans and they know what they’re going to get when Ricky and Kevin go in the ring together.

“They’re going to get the fight of the year for a start, that’s for sure. And they’re going to see what is, without a shadow of a doubt, the toughest fight of Ricky’s career.”

Ricky Burns knocks Nicky Cook down in the first round during the WBO World Super Feather-Weight Championship bout at Echo Arena on July 2011.

Burns is going for a 20th consecutive victory after suffering the only two losses of his professional life.

Mitchell has restored himself to the fighter he was before marital problems derailed his discipline and saw him blow his first title shot against Katsidis in 2010 and then hit the bottle.

And Warren has regained his respect for the Londoner in the process of watching him mend his reckless ways.

He said: “Kevin is fit and hungry and I know you get the best out of him in times of adversity.

“He’s a good puncher and dangerous. Kevin has a terrific left hook and that’s the punch that Ricky’s going to have to look out for. But the champion is the most improved fighter in Britain.

“If you cut him in half you would find the word ‘heart’ there. Ricky’s a fighting man who isn’t afraid to stand and trade punches. Both will spend the night heading for the trenches and that’s why 10,000 people are coming to see them.”

Warren is without equal when it comes to stage managing fights but he believes Burns and Mitchell are drawn from the purist end of his business and will provide a contest for connoisseurs.

He said: “We hype up fights but I genuinely think Ricky and Kevin have the respect of the public.

“You have Dereck Chisora and David Haye and then you have these two guys. They will provide a treat and my only prediction is it being fight of the year.

“There are so many connotations arising from this contest. There could be scope for rematches or Scott Harrison could fight the winner.”